The Avatar's Will
by ApolloSenpaii
Summary: Non-benders, with their advanced machinery and technology, waged a war against benders for their abuse of power and the Avatar is the only one who can stop this but the Avatar was last seen about a decade ago. Was it really just a rebellion against benders or was there something much worse behind it all? Basically, HOO cast in LoK setting.
1. Chapter 1

**PERCY**

-X-

Percy Jackson grumpily munched on an apple, with a water bottle in hand, as he walked towards the Republic City Academy where, like most people of his age, were currently attending.

"Cheer up, Percy! It's not like your first day at school. All you have to endure are a few weeks of classes and you'll be free from school again" A tall, muscular, and handsome guy clapped his shoulder, trying to cheer him up at this hour of the day.

"You're the only person I know that is cheerful at this goddamned hour of the day, Frank! It's only 7 AM for fuck's sake! I can't believe you're my cousin" Percy frowned as he tossed his finished apple to a garbage can nearby.

"Come on! It's a wonderful day! The weather's great for some Power Disk!" His cousin, Frank, beamed.

"You're a great cousin and person but I really can't 'cheer up', you know. And please stop with the Power Disk thingy; it doesn't help" Percy groaned.

"You're just grumpy because Aunt Sally left early without leaving you some of her blue pancakes, aren't you?" Frank wondered.

"And you just have to remind me about that" Percy groaned harder.

"The weather's clear yet you look like you've been through a fight with an Airbender" Percy jumped as he recognized that sweet yet stern voice. He turned around to meet the calculating gray eyes of his crush, Annabeth. Percy studied her for a moment – the way her princess blonde curls was neatly tied into a ponytail, her white coat that hugged her figure at the right curves, and her intense, calculating gray eyes that twinkled when she looked at him. Percy smiled and waved at Annabeth.

"Good morning, Annabeth! You know how grumpy he is in the morning. I've been cheering him up for minutes and failed. To think that all he needs to cheer up is you" Frank chuckled.

"Shut up" Percy muttered, elbowing Frank in the stomach, which barely did anything as Earthbenders are known for their strong core.

"Good morning, Frank! And good morning to you as well, Mr. Grumpy pants. Here, let me fix your clothes for you" Annabeth grabbed his blue tunic and tugged it to straighten the clothing. She also twisted his belt to its proper place. She also grabbed a brush from her bag and started to approach him but he immediately stopped her.

"I think you've done enough" Percy awkwardly chuckled as he combed his hair with his fingers. Percy noticed a sly grin from Frank. He willed the water from his bottle and splashed Frank on the face. Frank just stood there shocked and betrayed. Annabeth noticed and shook her head.

"Dry him up, Percy. You know his Waterbending isn't that developed yet" Annabeth chided.

It would have confused people if an Earthbender started to develop ability to Waterbend but ever since the portal to the spirit world opened 60 years ago, some benders have been able to bend another element, which supposedly was only accessible to the Avatar. These benders were called Dual Benders. Percy was a Waterbender as well as an Earthbender. Frank was an Earthbender and lately, he's been developing Waterbending. Annabeth, on the other hand, can bend en element which no one can bend before the portal opened; she was a Lightbender.

See, before the portal opened, benders can only bend Air, Earth, Fire, or Water; but ever since the portal opened, rare benders can bend either Light, or Shadow. Lightbenders are rare and Shadowbenders are much rarer.

"Fine" Percy sighed as he willed the water from his cousin's wet clothes and formed a water sphere near his head. "Where should I put this?" Percy asked Annabeth.

"Just use that to water those plants" Annabeth pointed to the potted plants from the building nearby.

"Good morning, Annabeth! Same to you too, Percy and Frank!" Another familiar voice called out to them. They turned to the direction of the voice and saw a petite girl with cocoa skin tackled Frank from behind and hugged him. Frank blushed from the contact.

"Good morning to you too, Hazel!" Percy beamed, happy to get back to his cousin for teasing him with Annabeth earlier.

"They're cute, aren't they?" Annabeth whispered on his ear, which caused him to jump in surprise.

"Anyways, what are you guys doing here? We're going to be late" Hazel grabbed Frank's hand and rushed towards the direction of the Academy. Percy glanced at his wrist watch, and cursed. Hazel was right; they're going to be late!

Percy saw Annabeth run after them and he sprinted as well.

-X-

It was already lunch time when was finally free from anything Academy related – well, half of it. He still has afternoon classes.

Percy examined the people at his table.

First, there was Frank Zhang, his cousin. Apparently, Percy's father and Frank's mother were related making them also related. If you'll look closely, Frank and Percy's appearances were so different that you couldn't tell they were related – Percy has sea green eyes, while Frank has warm brown eyes, Percy's hair was always messy while Frank's was always neat. The only similarities that they have were hair color, height, and build. He was an Earthbender who prefers to use Metalbending – an advanced from of Earthbending developed by Toph Beifong, who happens to be the grandmother of the Beifong Twins, who also happened to develop Power Disk, a sport that Frank loves to play. He was also a Dual Bender like Percy. He was both an Earthbender and Waterbender.

Next was Annabeth Chase, his crush. She was one of the rare benders; she could Lightbend. Lightbenders can do various tricks like Light Beams, Light Flash, and Illusions but Annabeth prefers to use Light Bending to become invisible; she likes to use her tricks on Percy and his friends. She spends most of her time at the library, studying various ways her bending can be used in combat.

Hazel Levesque also sat with them. She was also an Earthbender. She's also one of the rare benders; she's a Shadowbender, which is still quite new for her. Shadowbending allows her to manipulate the shadows to defend and travel – coined as Shadow Travelling.

Annabeth's cousin also sat with them and his name is Jason Grace. Jason was a tall, muscular guy with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was an Airbender, which he was quite proud of by showing how high he could fly. Just like Percy, Frank, and Hazel, Jason was also a Dual Bender. He developed the ability to bend fire but he prefers to use an advanced styled called Lightning Generation, which he used often to playfully shock his friends.

Jason's girlfriend, Piper McLean, also sat with them. Her choppy chocolate brown hair and tomboyish appearance did not deter anyone from noticing her beauty. Piper was a Waterbender like Percy but she prefers to learn the more defensive techniques of Waterbending, as well as its healing techniques. She spends her free time with Annabeth at the library, also learning the versatility of the art of Waterbending.

Lastly, Leo Valdez, Piper's adopted brother, also sat with them. His curly black hair, dark brown eyes, pointy ears matched with his mischievous smile often made people check their pockets constantly. He was a Firebender, which made him being a Pyromaniac dangerous, and just like Percy, he was also a Dual Bender; he developed the ability to bend Earth, which helped him find precious earth materials for his inventions.

"I wish I could stop time" Percy grimaced, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"And what? Be stuck here in the Academy forever? Then, no thanks!" Piper rolled her eyes as she continued to munch on her apple.

"I mean, I don't want this lunch period to end" Percy groaned, finishing his lunch that he bought from the Academy's cafeteria, which was surprisingly tasty.

"I understand Percy. I also don't want this lunch period to end if I'm in my presence. Everybody loves my presence!" Leo exclaimed; his hands covered in fire.

"Extinguish that fire, Valdez!" Annabeth ordered, which Leo immediately followed. Percy understood. Nobody wanted to face Annabeth's wrath.

"Besides, not everybody can handle your presence. Remember your bullies?" Frank reminded Leo without looking at him as he was busy bending a metal sheet into various shapes.

"That was years ago. Don't worry, Frankie. I'm fine now" Leo grinned. Frank shrugged as he continued bending the metal sheet.

"It's only a few hours until classes end anyway" Annabeth shrugged, finishing her pasta.

"But today is Wednesday! And Wednesdays mean Club Activities!" Percy groaned. Suddenly, Frank stood up, his legs banging on the table as he did so, which shocked everyone at the table.

"I'm sorry but I'll have to go! See you later!" Frank started to sprint but Jason stopped him for a while.

"And where do you think you're going? Lunch is still half an hour until it's over" Jason asked, his eyebrow rose in curiosity.

"Power Disk" Frank immediately answered before he ran off, while everyone else chuckled.

"He's really a fan, isn't he?" Annabeth smiled.

"Ugh. All he talks at home is Power Disk this, Power Disk that" Percy sighed but everyone just chuckled. "What? What's wrong?"

"You're just the same. Waterbending this, Waterbending that. You really are cousins" Jason said, which earned an offended look from Percy.

"Excuse me?! You have any problem with Waterbending?!" Percy glared.

"No, Percy. He doesn't. Just forget about what he said" Annabeth rolled her eyes.

Percy sighed as he dropped his utensils on his plate. He just watched his friends eating their lunch, which Piper commented on as awkward, when he saw the metal sheet Frank left behind. He picked it up and noticed that the metal sheet was bent into a miniature sword. Percy smiled as he pocketed the intricate object.

They may be cousins but for him, they're brothers.

-X-

Percy was really glad he could Waterbend. He didn't need to bring any towel for swimming – his club activity. All he has to do is to bend water and he would be dry.

After changing, he grabbed his bag and walked to the Academy's gate where his friends were.

"Finally! Aquaman's here!" Leo beamed.

"You've just arrived a few seconds ahead of Percy. What kept you, by the way?" Piper asked.

"The Stolls asked for my help so I did" Leo grinned, while everyone grimaced. The Stolls were twin Airbenders who love to prank everyone. They usually ask Leo for help with setting up their pranks though so they grimaced at the thought of what their prank could be. Leo seemed to understand what they're thinking so he laughed.

"Oh, no! It's not about pranking. They need help with math" Leo followed everyone as they walk back to their homes.

"Good relief. Their pranks are great unless you're the subject" Hazel pouted.

After talking while walking for a few minutes, everyone parted ways and that only left Percy, Frank, and Annabeth. Percy pocketed his hands when a sharp object pricked his finger. Percy remembered the object from lunch and decided to return it to Frank later.

"Well, guys, this is my stop. See you tomorrow!" Annabeth waved as she entered the apartment building where she resides with her family.

Few minutes later, they also arrived at their home. Percy immediately ran to the kitchen where he knew his mom would be.

"Mom! Why were there no pancakes earlier?!" Percy cried. Sally just chuckled, wiping her hands on her apron.

"I need to get to work earlier so I had no time to prepare. I also knew you'll react this way so I prepared these!" Sally offered Percy a plate of freshly baked blue cookies.

"You are the greatest mom ever!" Percy kissed Sally's cheek before he grabbed the cookie, which was still piping hot. He dropped the cookie back to the plate, before he used his Waterbending to heal his burn.

"They're fresh out of the oven, Percy. Go change first, and then call Frank" Percy nodded before he ran to his room – well he and Frank shared a room, so their room. He heard a tiny splash as he opened the door and saw Frank's half-drenched shirt.

"You're practicing Waterbending?" Percy asked, amused, before he grabbed a shirt and changed, not minding the other person in the room.

Frank sighed. "Yes" He answered weakly, his eyes casted downwards.

"Then why are you practicing in secret?" Percy sat on his bed, where he faced Frank from the other side of the room.

"I'm… disappointed" Frank sheepishly rubbed his neck, giving Percy a shy smile.

"About what?" Percy lay on his bed, arms crossed under his head.

"Well, I can't Waterbend as good as you and people expect a lot from me since, you know, we're cousins" Frank sighed.

"So what? I can't Metalbend as good as you and people expect a lot from me since, you know, we're cousins" Percy teased. He grabbed the item in his pocket carefully, not wanting another pricked finger. "Here, catch!"

Percy tossed the miniature sword in the air, which Frank Metalbent into his palm. "I thought I lost this"

"I kept it since it was yours" Percy grinned. "I'll train you with your Waterbending but under one condition"

"And that is?" Frank curiously asked.

"I'll have that sword" Percy said.

"But you already had it before you gave it back!" Frank cried.

"Oh. You're right. Well, I want it as a pendant. Also, I want you to dull it a bit, It's quite sharp" Percy showed Frank his pricked finger. Frank immediately ran to him and started to heal his minor wound with Waterbending while muttering a series of apologies. Percy raised his eyebrow.

"You said you can't Waterbend!" Percy said, surprised.

"I said I'm not good with it; I didn't said I can't" Frank shrugged.

"I have another condition" Percy grinned.

"Now what?" Frank wondered.

"I'll train you with Waterbending and you train me with Earthbending" Percy beamed.

"Deal" Frank smiled.

"By the way, mom's baked some cookies. You want some?" Percy asked, but before he could stand, Frank was already out of the room, probably to devour every cookie his mom baked.

"Hey! Those cookies are mine!" Percy chased after him.

-X-

Percy's favorite day of the week finally came. No, it wasn't Saturday. And it wasn't Sunday, either. It was Friday.

Percy excitedly devoured his lunch at the table where his friends usually sat.

"Aren't you too excited for the Bending Competition this week, Percy?" Annabeth wondered.

Percy swallowed the food from his mouth before he answered. "Well, I've been waiting days for this. Besides, it's the only thing I enjoy in this torturous jail complex called school"

"But you always win! Nobody can beat you with Waterbending. Also, mind you young man, if ever we battled each other today, please be nicer. You got water in my ear last time" Piper frowned.

"Well, sorry, ok? Besides, today's competition isn't like any competitions before" Percy said, grinning excitedly.

"Now that you said it, I think I saw a poster earlier about that. Just wait here while I grab one" Annabeth stood up, grabbing her lunch tray before she disposed of her used utensils at its proper place and leaving to the hallway where she saw the poster. A minute later, Annabeth returned with a poster in hand.

"This week's Bending Competition will be special from the rest of the competitions held before. This week, all Elemental Champions will face each other to showcase the balance between each element – how each element has its own strength and weaknesses. However, in order to symbolize each element's uniqueness, subtypes of the four main elements would currently be banned for this week only, meaning benders can only bend either air, earth, fire or water but not its subtypes like ice, metal, lightning, and lava" Annabeth read the poster out loud before she laid it down to the table for the others to read as well. "I can't believe they banned Lightbending"

"Wait, no Metalbending? That sucks" Frank frowned.

"We know Percy's the best at Waterbending and Jason's the best at Airbending but who's the best Firebender and Earthbender around?" Piper asked.

"Hello, Piper? I'm the best Firebender around! Can't you see?!" Leo demonstrated his skill at Firebending by crafting a miniature dragon that circles around his palm while breathing tiny flames.

"No bending during lunch!" Piper whispered with a glare. "I know you're a great Firebender but we can't guarantee you're the best since you never had any of the Battle Competition Medal yet"

"If it's based on the number of wins then it would be Iroh III, great grandson of Fire Lord Zuko. Have you seen his flames? They're huge!" Leo beamed.

"I think the best Earthbender around would be Hazel, if it's also based on number of wins but she utilizes her ability to Shadowbend to outsmart her opponents, right Hazel?" Frank asked.

"You compliment me, Frank. It's true that I use Shadowbending to outsmart my opponents but since the poster said only the four main elements would be used, I don't think I could win easily" Hazel blushed at the compliment.

"The poster never said anything about Dual Benders though. I only assumed that Lightbenders and Shadowbenders are banned since it's not part of the four main elements but the poster never said about using the elements for Dual Bending" Annabeth explained.

"Then let's ask Mr. Brunner. He should know" Percy suggested.

"I don't think we have enough time; lunch is almost over. I guess we have to ask any faculty about this later" Frank suggested.

Percy checked his watch as saw that they only have two minutes before classes start.

"See you later!" Piper pulled Percy form his seat and ran to the class they shared.

-X-

"Any question?" Ms. Amphitrite asked her students.

Percy raised his hand. "Is the class over yet?" Percy asked.

Ms. Amphitrite sighed. "I've already told you Percy, wait for the bell to ring. I'll ask again, Any questions about Waterbending's subtypes?"

Percy raised his hand again. "What now, Mr. Jackson?" Ms. Amphitrite groaned and everyone in the room chuckled.

"It's not about Waterbending's subtypes but have you read about the Bending Competition to be held later?" Percy asked. After a nod of confirmation, Percy continued. "Well, the poster never said anything about Dual Benders so I just want to ask if we're allowed to use more than one element? Also, what if our second element is not one of the four main elements?"

"The rules would be explained to you later, before the competition start, so please wait patiently, Mr. Jackson. The Bending Competition is only two hours away, anyway" Ms. Amphitrite explained. The bell rang exactly after Ms. Amphitrite explained.

Percy walked with Piper to their next class, which was History. He groaned as he aimlessly followed Piper to his next torture session when he bumped into Matt Sloan – an Earthbending bully who likes to think that Pure Benders are better than Dual Benders.

"Why are you even bothering befriending this scum, McLean? You know that Dual Benders are freaks and weak. Unlike us, they use other elements to look strong" Matt snarled, his fist curled.

"They are not freaks, Sloan. They are also Benders and human, unlike you who is a pig. Come on, Percy, ignore him" Piper walked past Matt, pulling Percy with her.

"I wish I can pulverize you, Jackson. Oh wait; I can pulverize your cousin later but I think Levesque has a better chance of dueling me than that weakling. I'll show her how strong Pure Benders are" Matt cackled. Percy turned and tried to punch him in the face but Piper stopped him.

"He's just messing with you, Percy. Both Frank and Hazel are strong. Trust me, they'll show that Sloan is wrong. Come on, we'll be late" Percy glared at Matt before he followed Piper to their next class with Annabeth and Leo.

-X-

Classes soon ended and the Bending Competitions finally began.

"I hope everyone read the posters about this week's competition. For those who don't, I'll make this quick - only the four main elements can be used and for us, we can only use water; no subtypes; and the winner will face the other winners from other elements, got it? Any questions?" Coach Triton asked.

"Percy asked Ms. Amphitrite earlier but she didn't exactly give an exact answer. Are we allowed to use our second element? What if our second element is either light or shadow?" Piper asked.

"Ah yeah, I forgot. Dual Bending isn't allowed this week, so Percy, you'll only be using water, understand? So maybe that also answers the question about Lightbending and Shadowbending?" Coach Triton scanned his students. "Good. Now, are you ready? As usual, each match lasts 5 minutes. Remember, no maiming, stabbing, decapitating, or doing anything fatal. Just push your opponent of the ring. If no one wins before the timer ends, the match is a draw. First match goes to…"

Percy ignored the matching as he waited for his match to be called.

-X-

Percy felt someone nudging him and saw Piper.

"I can't believe you fell asleep. It's only been thirty minutes. Coach is calling for you. You're against Poli – a hater of yours, I guess based on the glare he's sending you" Piper whispered, as she pushed Percy off the seats.

"Good to see you awake, Mr. Jackson. You know the rules. Ready, go!" Coach Triton blew his whistle.

Percy readied his stance, slightly crouched with his left foot in front of his right, his hand drawn near him.

The moment Paul created a water whip; Percy created a Water Cloak, an arm extension made of water to deflect the attack. He continued to deflect as Poli started a barrage of Water Whips. Percy jumped to the side as he saw Water Bullets coming his way. He ran around the ring, silently creating a stream of water to follow him as Paul continued to fire Water Bullets. When Poli's attacks slowed down, He shot the stream towards Paul, the water spiraling like a drill. Poli created a wall of water to block his attack. With Poli's vision obscured, he ran forward with his right fist drawn back and prepared for his own Water Whip. Poli counterattacked with a wave of water from Percy's right so Percy did the best things he could think off he slid under the wave and under Poli's legs before he grabbed Poli's legs with water and threw him out of the ring but before he could land on the water at the ring's side, Poli created a wave and surfed around the ring. Percy just stood there, chuckling.

"What's funny, Jackson? Feeling scared?" Poli teased as he continued to surf around.

"Actually, _you_ are funny" Percy continued to chuckle, releasing his Water Cloak, letting the water soak the ring.

"I am funny? You aren't even doing anything" Paul frowned.

"Hey Poli, are you an Airbender?" Percy called.

"What? No, why?" Paul asked.

"I thought you were one" Percy sat cross-legged on the ring, which only ticked Poli.

"And why would you think so?" Poli asked, speeding the wave up.

"Because you fly like one!" Percy threw his arm out, bending the wave to stop moving. The momentum of the sudden brake sent Poli flying towards the seats.

Coach Triton blew on his whistle, signally the end of their battle.

"You didn't have to play with him, Percy. You only made him angrier at you. I don't even know why he's mad at you. Congratulations, by the way" Piper clapped Percy's back.

"I also don't know but he's Sloan's friend right? Maybe he has a thing against us Dual Benders" Percy shrugged.

"Well done everyone! Now, for those who are drenched, get yourselves dry. The battle between the champions of the Bending Competition will start in 10 minutes. Go!" Coach Triton ordered.

"Wait, it's over? Who won?" Percy asked.

"Idiot. Your battle against Paul was the championship match" Piper laughed.

"Really? But his skill less superior that yours! How come you lost?" Percy wondered.

"Khione somehow froze my feet for a millisecond, which caused me to lose balance and knock me off the ring. I tried to tell coach that Khione used Icebending, but he said he never noticed"

"That's a bummer, I guess. Anyway, do you think Jason won?" Percy wondered.

"Of course! It's Jason we're talking about" Piper grinned.

"Whatever. I guess the battle's at the main field" Percy guessed.

"Yup! Come on! I know Annabeth's been waiting for hours, reading her book" Piper pulled him along towards the main field, where the first Battle of the Champions would be held.

-X-

Author's note: I decided to make the children of the Big Three NOT cousins. Also, I decided that each of the Big Three has their own family tree. Descendants of Poseidon would be related which explains Percy and Frank's relationship. Descendants of Zeus would also be related excluding Leo, which explains Annabeth and Jason's relationship. Hades' descendants also work the same way.

P.S. I do not know whether I should put this on crossover or not because most characters are from the PJO, specifically HOO, with mentions of characters from Legends of Korra. Of course, Avatar and stuff are from LoK. So should I put it in crossover or not?


	2. Chapter 2

**ANNABETH**

-X-

Annabeth has been reading the same page for the seventh time.

She sighed as she decided to close her book and gazed at the stream of light that touched the clouds and the skies above; the Portal to the Spirit World.

According to their History book, the portal opened 60 years ago after the late Avatar Korra managed to defeat the Great Uniter, Kuvira. Their battle resulted to the almost destruction of the downtown side of the United Republic. She was once amazed by the sight but she was disappointed to see the portal surrounded by huge trees and military barriers, preventing anyone to enter the area.

As Annabeth continued to gaze at the portal, she noticed a dot near the portal. She peered at the figure and saw a tiny black speck around.

"I thought no one was supposed to enter the vicinity?" Annabeth asked no one in particular. Thinking that she might be seeing something wrong, she blinked her eyes a few times before she peered again and saw that the object was gone.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth jumped as Leo sat beside her.

"Minding my own business, which I suggest that you also do" Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Are you mad that you didn't get to compete for this week's Bending Competitions?" Leo asked.

"No. I think it was a good change for me, you know. Besides, there are only few of us Lightbenders here at the Academy" Annabeth returned her book to her bag. "So, how did your competition go?"

"I decided to forfeit. I can't win anyway. Plus, Earthbending competitions are much more entertaining, you know. How they hurl rocks at each other's face – now, that's hilarious!" Leo laughed.

"Look for a person that's laughing like a lunatic and that's how you'll find Leo Valdez" Piper snickered, giving Annabeth a high-five. Annabeth peered past Piper and saw a smirking Percy.

"I guess you won, as usual" Annabeth smiled as Percy took a seat beside her.

"I didn't even know that my match was the championship match" Percy shrugged, his head rolled over the bench.

"He fell asleep, given that he was excited for the competition during lunch" Piper giggled.

"It wasn't my fault those guys were boring" Percy shrugged.

"You were asleep during my match! Are you telling me my match was boring?!" Piper glared, which Percy immediately brushed off.

"How would I know?! I was sleep for Raava's sake!" Percy threw his arms in the air.

"How would sleeping help Raava in any way?" Hazel appeared from the shadow of the tree behind their bench, with a patched up Frank in tow.

"That doesn't matter – what happened to you?!" Percy exclaimed, his finger pointed at Frank.

"What? It's normal for Earthbending competitions to have their combatants injured! It's not like they're serious, though. They're just a few bruises and scratches that would heal in no time!" Frank exclaimed as if Percy just told him that he has two heads.

"Make sure they're nothing serious. I'll check them later. I got a championship to win!" Percy beamed while Frank's shoulder slumped. Annabeth giggled at Percy's overprotectiveness.

"Jason's not here yet?" Hazel asked as she sat on her makeshift Earthen Chair while Frank simply leaned at the tree behind them. As soon as she finished asking, the wind picked up and Jason descended from above.

"Flashy entrance, Mr. Airbender" Leo spat out a few leaves that managed to enter his mouth.

"So, you won as well. Great, now I don't know who to cheer for" Annabeth grinned.

"Cheer for me. I'm sure it's more worth it" Jason grinned.

"Oh, I'm not so sure, Mr. Airy pants! Cheer for me, Annabeth and I'll give you a day's worth of my mom's blue cookies!" Percy bribed.

"Hmm. Air vs. Water. Two elements that uses defense for offense. Let me think. Ok, I'll go with air" Annabeth said without a pause.

"I thought we're best friends! Why would you choose him over us?!" Piper cried.

"Stop being overdramatic, Piper" Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"You betrayed me! I thought we had a thing going on between us!" Percy cries as well. A thing? Oh Raava, what have Percy done?

"You have a _thing_?" Piper asked excitedly, going into fangirl mode.

"You – what – you – what?!" Jason stood dumbfounded.

"Oh, guys! Stop it! We don't have a _thing_ ,Percy" Annabeth growled.

" _Well, not yet since you're too oblivious"_ __Annabeth mentally added.

"The time has come for us to meet the first Inter-elemental Bending Competitions Champion!" A voice boomed from the center of the field. Annabeth barely noticed the students filling up the seats that surround the field.

"From the Airbenders, we present to you, Jason Grace!" Jason Grace flew from his seat towards the center of the field, landing next to Mr. Zhao, the Physical Educations Teacher of the non-benders.

"Show off" Percy muttered as he coughed up the dust that Jason managed to create during take-off.

"From the Earthbenders, we present to you, Matt Sloan!" Matt appeared from the ground, his face showing full confidence that he could win.

"Matt won?!" Piper exclaimed.

"Surprise but yeah" Frank shrugged.

"But there's a lot of better Earthbenders in this Academy – like the both of you! How come he won?" Percy wondered.

"Don't ask me. I'm surprised myself" Hazel frowned.

"From the Firebenders, we present to you, Iroh Xing III" Iroh III simply walked from the side of the field towards the center.

"And from the Waterbenders, we present to you, Percy Jackson!" Annabeth watched as Percy created a tidal wave from the water that surrounds the field and surfed his way towards the center, where he also managed drench the other people at the center of the field.

"Come on, Jackson! Dry us up!" Mr. Zhao ordered, which Percy immediately obeyed.

"Without a further ado, let's start! In order to maintain the competition's impartiality, the competitors would draw a number from this glass bowl. Even numbers fight with each other. The same goes for odd numbers. Competitors, draw your numbers!" Mr. Zhao held the glass bowl in front of him. One by one, the competitors grabbed a number which resulted in the following:

1 Iroh III

2 Percy

3 Jason

4 Matt

"Now that the numbers we're picked, I'll ask Jason and Iroh III to stay at the stage. Percy, Matt, you may go back to you seats for now"

"So you're against Matt, the bully. How does that feel?" Annabeth asked. Percy motioned for her to come closer, which she did.

"I'm actually glad that I got him. I'll show him what I'll do to people who threaten my friends" Percy glared at Matt's direction.

"What happened?" Annabeth wondered.

"I'll tell you later but right now, I'll think of a strategy to beat this guy within a minute" Percy grinned.

"If you say so. But still remember the rules, alright? No maiming, stabbing, decapitating, or doing anything fatal" Annabeth reminded him, not sure what Percy could be thinking as of the moment.

"The battle between the Air Champion, Jason Grace, versus the Fire Champion Iroh Xing III. Same rules with your previous Bending Competitions apply. Now, commence!" Mr. Zhao declared, the students cheering up.

The moment Mr. Zhao signaled the start of the battle, Jason and Iroh III immediately leaped away from each other. Iroh III faced Jason, one foot in front of the other; one hand forward, palms open, while one was drawn back, fist clenched. Jason, on the other hand, lifted a few inches of the ground, his posture relaxed and steady.

In a blink of an eye, Iroh III took a step forward and punched the air, which created a large stream of fire towards Jason. He followed it up with a series of somersaults, punches, and slices which created different shaped fire projectiles towards Jason. Jason countered by creating a barrage of air slashes which met the fire projectiles, resulting to a cloud of smoke to cover the field. Iroh III cleared the smoke by creating a vortex of flames which expanded until the edge of the field. Jason created an air dome to protect himself from the searing heat and burning fire. Blows of air and fire were exchanged that causes a thick cloud of smoke every time they clashed. Iroh III continued to blow stream of fire towards Jason, who dodges using his Airbending to accelerate his speed. Blows from Iroh III continued until Annabeth noticed it began to slow down. Jason managed to use his advantage of speed to tire Iroh III before he enveloped himself in air and expanded the dome to push Iroh III out of the field.

"And the winner is Jason Grace!" Jason shook Iroh III's hand, both students smiling and congratulating each other.

"Well done, Jason!" Annabeth congratulated Jason, who turned to Percy.

"I really hope you win against Sloan. He's more of a muscle head so use that to your advantage" Jason advised.

"I know. Besides, losing against that guy would give me a bad name" Percy cracked his knuckles. Annabeth noticed Frank and Hazel averted their gaze. "Let's do this" Percy walked off to the center of the field, where he had a glaring match with Matt.

"Percy said he'd take Matt down in under one minute and I agree with him. Anyone wants to bet?" Annabeth asked her friends.

"I believe in Percy" Frank said, Piper, and Hazel nodded.

"Percy may be strong but we had to give Matt some credit. He did manage to win the competition for his element" Jason shrugged.

"Though the guy's not that friendly, I also had to admit his strength" Leo nodded.

Percy readied his stance, a ring of water already swirling at his feet. Matt crouched, his feet shoulder-length apart, his fist drawn at his sides – normal stance for Earthbenders with strong cores, Annabeth noticed.

"The battle between the Earth Champion, Matt Sloan, versus the Water Champion, Percy Jackson. Same rules apply. Now, commence!"

The moment Matt stomped and a chunk of Earth levitated in front of him, Percy willed the water to form a huge drill in from of him, which rotated at dangerous speed. Percy did a strong and swift punching motion and the drill went through the chunk of Earth as if it was made of paper.

Annabeth frowned. She usually saw that movement used by Earthbenders and Firebenders, but not by the Waterbenders.

As the dust and pieces of rocks fell, Percy willed the water to surround Matt before it covered Matt in a dome of water. Percy also bent a vortex of water to surround the dome, which pulled the dome upwards before willing the water to disintegrate into a sea of tiny droplets, finally giving view of Matt as he spiraled back to the field, creating a huge crater.

"And the winner is Percy Jackson! I have to say, that was fast! A record-breaking 12.48 seconds!"

"I told you Percy could beat him in less than a minute!" Frank cheered.

"It's over? I just blinked and it's over? Percy's scary" Leo shivered.

"Showed him where he belongs!" Percy pumped a fist in the air. "Now, Grace. Let us know who the best is"

"I think that can wait" Annabeth informed.

"Five minute break!" Mr. Zhao said.

"Oh, come on! My adrenaline's wearing off!" Percy groaned.

"Not my loss" Jason grinned. Percy flipped him a finger that most children should never see.

"I've watched you Waterbend many times before but I just realized something" Annabeth blurted, catching everyone's attention.

"Huh?" Percy asked.

"See, correct me if I'm wrong but Waterbenders usually uses fluid and graceful movements which represent the movement of the sea – swaying and rolling. However, when you used that Water Drill, I noticed that your movements was strong and stable, like what Earthbenders do to keep their balance and strong hold to the Earth" Annabeth supplied.

"I never noticed" Leo shrugged.

"You weren't even watching, Leo" Piper flicked Leo's ear with her finger.

"Really? I guess I just followed what my body told me to do but that doesn't matter! Maybe it was because I was mad. Waterbenders also tend to use their emotions for their advantage, just so you know" Percy yawned. "I want some ice cream later. Anyone who wants to tag along?" Everyone raised their hands. Annabeth chuckled. Of course, it was ice cream after all.

"The match is about to begin. Jason, Percy, please come out here at the field" Percy and Jason walked together, their faces serious.

"The match for the championship between the Air Champion, Jason Grace, versus the Water Champion, Percy Jackson. Now, commence!"

In the blink of an eye, a cloud of thick mist exploded from the center where Percy's attack met Jason's defense. Jason lifted up in the air, clapping his hands and creating a huge shockwave that blew the cloud away. However, Percy can't be seen anywhere on the field. A loud crash echoed and a swirling tower of water rose from the field, growing higher than where Jason was flying. Inside the swirling tower was Percy, his hands covered in water that coiled at Jason's feet. Percy did a whipping motion, and Jason plummeted to the Earth but Jason managed to cushion his fall with a ball of air. Jason countered by creating a funnel of air that picked the pieces of rocks from Percy's battle with Matt earlier and created a rock cannon which shot the rocks at Percy. Percy dodged by swiftly creating a waterfall and redirected the water into Jason, enveloping him in a sphere of water. Jason managed to escape by using the water's pressure and popped the bubble from the inside. Jason landed on his feet, his shirt drenched in water, hugging his toned torso which many of his fangirls admired. Jason took deep breath, trying to regain his composure. Percy eyed Jason. Jason eyed Percy. Both of them were studying their opponent's next move but before anyone of them can move, the whistle sounded which indicates the end of match.

"And it's a tie! Here we go folks! Our first champions! Jason Grace and Percy Jackson!"

-X-

"Few more seconds and I could have won the match" Percy grumbled as he scooped a spoonful of his blue mint chocolate ice cream.

"Impossible. I have everything under control" Jason shrugged eating a spoonful of his cookies and cream ice cream.

"Percy was right; you never noticed the tendrils of water slowly making their way to your legs" Piper grinned, already done with her ice cream.

"By the way, have you heard the rumors?" Hazel whispered.

"What rumors?" Leo sounded interested, as expected since Leo's a blabbermouth.

"Some of our classmates said that Sloan was recruited by the Triple Threat Triad" Frank said, his eyes scanning the store for any eavesdroppers.

"Yup, also, one of our classmates said that the Triad threatened her this morning to forfeit today's Bending Competition" Hazel frowned. "And I suspect that's why he's the one who ended up the champion for our element"

"Should we tell Mr. Brunner?" Jason asked.

"No need. I already showed him his place" Percy grinned.

"What even made you mad earlier? You said something about Sloan" Annabeth wondered.

"He talked shit so I fed his shit" Percy nonchalantly said.

"What Percy meant to say was: Sloan badmouthed our friends and I quote: 'I'll show her how strong Pure Benders are'. Funny how things went" Piper snickered.

"Who was Sloan referring to?" Leo asked.

"Doesn't matter" Percy shrugged.

"How about the rumors with his connection with the Triad?" Piper inquired.

"We can't tell anyone about that unless we have enough evidence and we know that we're still students from the Academy so we can't just snoop our nose where the Triads were or else we'll end up in a really bad shape" Annabeth informed. "If he's a member of the Triad, it's still better to let the Metalbending Military Force of Republic City to handle it"

"Just wait here! I'll order another" Percy stood up but Annabeth stopped him.

"You've already had seven servings! Too much sugar can is bad for your health" Annabeth glared.

"Bad for my health? Have you seen this?" Percy flexed his muscles. "I'm in perfect condition for another serving!" Percy ran to the counter even before Annabeth could protest.

"Never stop Percy from eating – even Sally can't stop him" Frank chuckled. Everyone on the table simply laughed.

-X-

"My stomach hurts" Percy groaned as he walked.

"Well, you said you'll order one so we didn't stop you but you ordered four so I guess that's karma" Annabeth smirked.

"This is my stop. Can you two make it? I can assist you" Annabeth asked as she examined Percy's discomfort and Frank's limp.

"We can do this. Thanks for the concern, Annabeth. Good night!" Frank waved as he grabbed Percy's hand over his shoulder. Annabeth carefully watched them and smiled, before she entered their apartment building.

Annabeth unlocked the door and sadly smiled at the usual sight that greeted her: darkness. She missed spending time with her parents and brother but lately, they've been staying late at the Council for their work. She sighed as she proceed to the kitchen and prepare herself something for dinner. She didn't even bother cooking for her parents and brother; she knew they'd eat out somewhere.

-X-

Annabeth woke up as soon as the sun rose.

She did some morning exercises like jumping jacks and pushups before she prepared herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. She turned the television on and watched the morning news as she ate her cereal. Nothing interesting caught her attention so she nonchalantly changed the channel. She finished her breakfast without even watching anything since nothing caught her attention.

After washing the dishes and taking a shower, she noticed her phone's screen was up, meaning someone messaged her. Annabeth grabbed the phone and threw herself into the couch. She read the text message from Leo.

 _Leo Valdez: Pro-bending match 2nite. Any1 interested, msg me and I'll buy tix_

Well, Annabeth had no plans for tonight.

 _Annabeth Chase: Well, I have no plans tonight so I'll go. Who else would go? P.S. Spell your words; they're annoying me_

Leo immediately replied.

 _Leo Valdez: Everyone except Frank and Pipes. There I spelled them_

Annabeth chuckled before yawning. She was bored. It's only 8: 30 AM and the library is usually closed until 10 AM. She decided to text Piper but before she could, Piper herself texted her first.

 _Piper McLean: I know you're awake and I know the library's still out so I want you to come over. Hazel's here. P.S. You can't back down, sweetie_

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Well, she got nothing to do so she decided to go over to Piper's place.

-X-

It was a twenty minute walk towards Piper's place.

"Finally! The bookworm is here!" Piper pulled her in.

"What is this about?" Annabeth wondered.

"I went to the library last night and found a book you might be interested in" Piper beamed.

"That doesn't explain why Hazel's here" Annabeth pointed out.

"Just come" Piper rolled her eyes.

When they reached Piper's room, Annabeth saw Hazel smiling as she texted someone on the phone.

"He asked you to a date already?" Annabeth teased. Hazel jumped in surprise, her face blushing.

"I wasn't texting Frank. I'm texting Nico" Hazel fanned her face.

"And why were you smiling?" Piper asked.

"You know why Nico's out of the city right?" Hazel started.

"Yeah, something about looking for the new Avatar with Reyna and Hedge" Annabeth supplied.

"Nico said they finally had some leads about the new Avatar's whereabouts" Hazel beamed.

"Avatar, huh? But the world's in peace ever since Avatar Korra defeated the Great Uniter, Kuvira" Piper wondered as she pulled Annabeth to her desk and a book about Chi and Bending.

"I figured that you'll be interested in the art of chi blocking" Piper smiled.

"Chi blocking? I'm not interested but why am I here?" Hazel asked.

"Annabeth needs someone to spar. Don't worry, I can heal your bruises" Piper grinned as she noticed Hazel grimace.

"Chi blocking. That's interesting. With this, I can finally defeat Percy" Annabeth smirked.

"Please don't jab too hard" Hazel sighed as she surrendered to her fate.

-X-

It took them until lunch time before Annabeth successfully paralyzed Hazel and temporarily disabled her bending.

"Finally!" Annabeth cheered while Hazel groaned.

"It's already lunch and I'm hungry. Piper, do you have anything we could eat?" Hazel asked.

"Lunch already? I didn't notice. Let's head out! My treat!" Piper beamed.

"If you insist" Annabeth smiled as well. Free lunch is free, so why not take the opportunity.

Few blocks from Piper's place were where cheap restaurants are.

"This restaurant may be cheap but I swear their food tastes good" Piper said.

After placing their orders, they waited patiently.

"Hey, Leo told me you can't come to the Pro-bending match later. Why?" Annabeth asked Piper who shrugged.

"I already had an earlier appointment with my father. It's rare that he visits Republic City so I agreed" Piper ate her noodles.

"Have a good time, then" Hazel smiled, her noodles already finished.

"I'll have a better time at the arena than with him" Piper frowned. "Don't get me wrong; I love my father but he talks too much"

"Bad timing, then. Don't worry. There are other nights for Pro-bending" Annabeth cheered her up.

Piper sighed. "Yeah"

"Where's Leo, by the way? I never saw him at your home" Annabeth wondered.

"He's out with Jason, hanging out. I swear if Leo tries to steal my man, I'll castrate him" Piper glared. Annabeth and Hazel just giggled.

The conversation went on for minutes, talking liberally about school and life in general – and of course, that includes love life. Annabeth caught sight of Piper's watch and noticed that it's already a quarter past one.

"I'll see you later. I'll have to go. I forgot I still have some homework unfinished. Mom would kill me if he knew I'll be going to the arena with my homework unfinished" Annabeth waved before she left the restaurant and headed home.

-X-

Annabeth never noticed the time since she was focused on her homework.

"And done. I swear those teachers purposely gave us this much homework for weekends" Annabeth stretched her tired fingers. She glanced at her wall clock and saw that she still had an hour before the match began. A knock echoed through the apartment as soon as Annabeth finished relaxing her tired fingers.

"Coming!" Annabeth said as she pushed her seat.

"Yo! Annabeth! The game's about to start!" Percy said.

"The game's still an hour away, Percy. Where's Frank by the way?" Annabeth asked.

"His injuries from yesterday were more than some scratches and bruises – a sprained ankle, few ribs broken, and a concussion - so he had to stay and recover" Percy frowned.

"That's too much for a simple Bending Competition" Annabeth grabbed her phone and wallet, as she ushered Percy to follow her.

"But it is Earthbending – like what he said yesterday, it's normal" Percy sighed. "Bad timing Leo had to invite us for a Pro-bending match"

"Is he staying home alone?" Annabeth asked.

"I actually offered to stay but he refused. I was about to argue, good thing mom came to the rescue" Percy smiled. "Anyways, want to rent a cab?"

"As long as you'll pay" Annabeth smirked.

"No problem" Percy grinned as he hailed a cab. He opened the door and motioned for Annabeth to enter. "After you princess"

"Thank you, peasant" Annabeth teased.

"How am I a peasant?!" Percy frowned.

"I'm just joking" Annabeth giggled.

"Uhm, excuse me, love birds, but where are we off to?" The cab driver asked. Both Annabeth and Percy blushed at the thought of being 'love birds'.

Annabeth managed to recompose herself before she replied. "The Arena, please"

The cab driver nodded and started to head off to the Arena.

-X-

Author's note: Surnames weren't revealed for most character in the entire Avatar series. Hence, I made up some surnames for some of the mentioned characters from the series.


End file.
